Peg board toy



Aug. 14, 1951 H..\L. sWlRKAL PEG BOARD TOY Filed April 30. 194g Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEG BOARD TOY Hugo L. Swirkal, Inglewood, Calif. Application April 30, 1949, Serial No. 90,718

4 Claims. (Cl. 46-1) My invention relates generally to the toy art and more particularly to a peg board toy in which pegs are driven by a mallet or the like through peg holes in a board.

Toys of the character referred to above are exceedingly popular with small children, the toy being not only amusing to the children but also a test of their dexterity. Peg boards heretofore employed have several disadvantages, the most important being that the pegs become Worn and the holes through which the pegs are driven become enlarged so that eventually the pegs are not frictionally retained in the holes and are quite apt to slide therethrough. When this condition prevails, the toy becomes useless and is usually discarded. In addition, it is rather difficult to manufacture such conventional peg boardsY so that the pegs initially have the proper t in the holes, the reason being that the peg stock, which is purchased in nished form, may vary in diameter due to inaccurate turning of the Wood, shrinkage, etc. Moreover, certain Woods have varying degrees of hardness and thus possess different Wear resisting qualities. Another fault of previous devices of this type resides in the fact that they are quite unstable and thus easily upset. A further undesirable feature is that the pegs are so arranged, one with respect to another, and with respect to the end supports or legs, that it is difficult for the child to strike a single peg with the mallet Without also striking other pegs or adjacent parts of the toy.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a toy of the peg board type Which includes peg board means supported by leg members and in which the peg board has means incorporated therein for offering frictional resistance to the passage of the pegs through the peg holes so that they may be driven through the holes only when impact force of predetermined magnitude is applied thereagainst. This object is best attained by providing resiliently mounted means forming part of the peg board and defining in part the peg holes, this means acting to apply lateral pressure against the pegsY and thus offer frictional resistance to their axial movement through the holes. By this means, wear of the pegs or Wear of the wood surrounding the peg holes is automatically compensated for and a firm engagement of the pegs is assured and this is another object of my invention.

v Another object is to provide a peg board toy in which one or more peg boards are employed, each board consisting of a stationary element having at least one groove in an edge thereof, and

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2 a movable element having a similar groove therein and cooperating with the first mentioned groove to provide the complete peg opening or hole for receiving a peg, said movable element being normally urged toward the stationary element to reduce the size of the peg hole so as to frictionally grip a peg disposed in the opening. Another object is to provide a toy, of the class referred to, which includes a plurality vof the'peg boards, the movable elements of which are forced into peg-gripping position by springs interposed between the vadjacent ends of the movable elements so as to spread these elements apart, this structure simplifying the device by reducing the number of spring elements required.

Another object is to provide a self-adjusting peg board toy of the character indicated which comprises three of the peg boards so arranged as to provide, in effect, a substantially equilateral triangular frame, leg members connecting the boards at the apices of the sides of the triangle and thus providing a three-point support which makes for greater rigidity and stability to resist tilting or upsetting of the toy in use.

Another object is to provide a toy of the type specified in Which the shape of the supporting leg members and the relative spacing of the peg openings are such that inadvertent striking of the wrong peg or adjacent parts of the device is avoided.

A further object is to provide a peg board toy which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and highly efficient in performing its intended function.

Further objects Will appear from the following description and from the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved peg board game;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, one corner thereof being shown in section to illustrate the spring means;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4 4 of FigJZ.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the present improved peg board toyl includes a plurality of vertical supports or leg members 5,` preferably three in number. Each leg member 5 consists of a at piece of Wood, the corners of which are cut away angularly as indicated at 6 so as to provide tapered upper and lower portions 'l and '8L Mid- Way between its upper and lower ends, each leg member is provided on its inner side with a transverse, horizontal slot 9.

The leg members 5 serve as supports for three peg boards, indicated generally at I0. Each peg board includes an outer stationary element I2 and an inner movable element I3. The outer board elements I2 are of trapezoidal shape, thus providing angular end portions which are receivable in the outer ends of the slots 9 of the leg members. The elements I2 are retained within the slots El by wood screws lli which pass through holes in the leg members and are screwed into the ends of the elements as clearly shown in Fig. 2. With the peg board elements I2 thus connected to the leg members 5, a rigid frame of substantially equilateral triangular shape is provided. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each outer element I2 is provided with a pair of substantially semi-circular vertically extending grooves I5 in its inner edge, these grooves being slightly less than a complete semi-circle in outline.

The inner movable peg boardelements I3 are of a width substantially equal to that of the elements I2 and extend parallel to the same. The ends of the elements I3 are cut at an angle as `shown at IS to adapt them to t within the slots .9 of the leg members 5 and to slide therein, the slots thus serving as guides, The ends are further cut angularly as indicated at I'I to provide faces which extend parallel to imaginary lines drawn from the center of the triangular frame through the apices thereof. Each inner element I3 has two substantially semi-circular vertical grooves I8 in its outer longitudinal edge. When the board elements I3 are in the relative positions shown in the drawing, their grooves I8 co-opcrate with the grooves I5 of the complementary outer elements I2 to provide a pair of substantially circular peg openings 20 at each side of the triangle for receiving wooden cylindrical pegs 22 which are the objects to be driven. With the pegs 22 in place in the openings 20, 'clearance exists between the adjacent longitudinal edges of the elements I2 and I3 as indicated at 23.

Drilled in the faces I'I of the elements I3 are holes 24 for receiving the ends of compression springs 25 (Fig. 2). llhe springs 25 function to exert opposite lateral forces against the adjacent ends of the elements I3 so that the elements are urged toward the outer elements I2 with considerable force. The result of this action is to cause the pegs 22 to be gripped between the inner and outer elements I3 and I2 in the openings 20. It is thus seen that the pegs 22 are effectively retained in the openings 20 and considerable frictional resistance is oiered to the passage of the pegs therethrough. The pegs 22 can, however, `be driven through the openings 20 under the impact force applied against their upper ends by means of a hammer, mallet or other striker, the present drawing showing a mallet 25 for the purpose.

The object of the present toy is the same as that of conventional peg board to-ys, that is, to provide amusement for a child who strikes the pegs 22 with the mallet 26 to drive the pegs down in the openings 20. In the present improved toy device, frictional resistance is offered to the passage of the pegs through the openings by the spring-pressed board elements I3 so that unresisted movement of the pegs is prevented and several blows of the mallet are necessary to lower each peg.

During operation of the toy, the latter is supported by the three leg members 5 which may manufacture and assembly.

rest upon a floor or other surface and this threepoint support makes for greater stability and tilting and upsetting of the toy are eiectively resisted. In this respect, it is pointed out that the lower corners of the leg members 5 adjacent the ends of each peg board II] are disposed outside the longitudinal center line of that particular board so that the striking force applied to the pegs arranged on this center line will not tend to tilt the toy. In other words, the lines of pegs 22 are disposed inside the border of the toy frame so that maximum stability is provided. While it is apparent that true rectangular leg members 5, that is, members having upper and lower ends of full width .might afford even greater stability, in the instant toy these ends are reduced to provide proper clearance and this is essential if the toy is to -be made to a practical size. This feature is clearly indicated in Fig. 1 wherein the head of the mallet 26 is shown in vertical alignment with a peg 22, When the mallet is wielded by the child, the possibility of the mallet striking the adjacent leg members is avoided by the fact that the adjacent corner of the leg member is cut away as shown at 6. Consequently, it is possible to arrange the pegs 22 relativelyv close to the leg members so as to maintain the length of the peg boards I0 within practical limits. lt is also to be noted that the pegs of each board I are spaced apart a distance which avoids the possibility of striking two adjacent pegs at the same time.

t has been explained that the pegs 22 are frictionally retained in the openings 2U and that resistance to their vertical movement is produced by the gripping or clamping action of the springactuated elements I3. It is obvious that by this provision wear which might occur in the grooves I5 and I8 forming the major portion of the openings, and in the pegs themselves, is automatically compensated for by the elements I3 which move closer to the elements I2 as wear occurs, thus maintaining the desirable grip on the pegs. If one opening or one peg wears at a faster rate than the other the element I3 may tilt slightly but nevertheless the proper degree of frictional resistance is maintained. This latter condition may also prevail should the pegs initially vary in diameter to a slight degree. This constitutes an important improvement over conventional peg board toys wherein no provision is made for compensating lor wear of the parts so that eventually the pegs become loose in the peg openings and may even fall therethrough. Another fault of -previous devices is that the pegs may not initially nt properly the peg openings, due to variations in the diameters of the pegs, the com; pressibility oi the wood, or both, and this discrepancy is effectively overcome in the present peg toy.

It is to be further observed that my improved peg board toy is especially simple in construction and is composed of a minimum number of parts, these components being adapted for economical As a feature of the invention, the movable board elements I3 are actuated by the springs 25 which engage between adjacent ends of these elements so that by the use of only three springs simultaneous operation of the three elements is effected. The initial insertion of each peg 2E in one of the boards I0 is readily accomplished by placing an end of the peg against the groove I8 and forcing the element I3 inwardly so as to momentarily enlarge the opening 20 to a size which permits insertion of the peg, pressure of the peg then being released to cause the element I3 to move toward the element I2 to retain the peg in place in the board. The peg board toy is reversible so that after the pegs have been driven in one direction by the mallet, the toy can be inverted and the pegs then driven in the oppostie direction. The lower surfaces of the boards I0 are disposed at a height which is less than the length of the pegs so that the latter strike the floor or other support on which the toy is used to prevent driving of the pegs completely through the peg openings.

It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the present toy is susceptible of various changes or modications which would fall Within the concept of my invention. Consequently, I do not Wish to be limited in this respect, but desire to be afforded the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A peg board toy, comprising: three vertical leg members having horizontal slots; three horizontal stationary peg board elements secured to and extending between said leg members and dening a substantially equilateral triangle, each of said elements having at least one groove in its inner edge; three movable peg board elements having their ends slidable in said slots of said leg members and each extending parallel to one of said stationary elements and being provided with at least one groove in its outer edge aligned with said groove of its complementary stationary element and defining therewith a substantially complete peg opening; pegs adapted to be disposed in and to be driven through each opening; and springs disposed between adjacent ends of said movable elements and operative to slide said movable elements in said slots toward the corresponding stationary elements to yieldingly maintain each pair of movable and stationary' elements in close juxtaposition tending to reduce the cross-sectional size of said openings so as to effect frictional resistance to the passage of said pegs through said openings.

2. A peg board toy as defined in claim 1 in which said leg members have sloping lateral edges.

3. A peg board toy as dened in claim 1 in which said leg members are tapered in width above and below said slots.

4. A peg board toy as dened in claim 1 in which said movable elements have recesses in their inner sides adjacent their ends, said springs being Ycompressed between said ends with their end portions disposed in said recesses.

HUGO L. SWIRKAL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 588,030 Swan Aug. 10, 1897 670,446 Fletcher et al Mar. 26, 1901 1,222,844 Caldemeyer Apr. 17, 1917 2,197,976 Fletcher Apr. 23, 1940 

